Poultry Recipes

Roasting chicken is one of the best ways to showcase the poultry and enhance its flavor. It doesn't require too much skill; really, it’s just about a willingness to get your hands dirty. To ensure a tender and moist result, you’ll need to massage the marinade under and all over the skin of the meat.

The flavorings for the marinade are up to you. All that matters is the inclusion of the tenderizing ingredients to ensure the meat is succulent. Over the years, I've come up with a great combination for a successful roasted chicken, which consists of softened butter or/and olive oil, baking powder, green papaya paste and an acidic ingredient such as lemon, lime (or any citrus) or vinegar. For the remaining ingredients, I chose, garlic, freshly grated ginger, mint, coriander and honey. I also prepared a lime coconut sauce to pair with the chicken. And it was delicious!

We're only a week away from Tết, the Asian New Year. And of course, food is what makes the festivities so much fun. Eggrolls (chả giò) are Maman's must-have dish for the celebration. My favorite version is chicken eggrolls. I usually use dark meat (chicken thighs and legs), which make the dish more moist and flavorful. I also mix in fried jicama and carrots for added crunch.

Preparing them isn't that complicated; they're labor-intensive, but if you have a large crew of little helpers as I do, rolling them is a piece of cake. All you need to do next is deep-fry them and enjoy them wrapped in lettuce along with rice noodles.

Canh gà hầm thuốc bắc, or "stewed black chicken soup" in Vietnamese, is known for its medicinal properties. It's the cultural equivalent of chicken noodle soup when you feel sick. In addition to its purported healing properties, it has a reputation of enhancing lactation for breast-feeding mothers. I don't know if it really helped nourish my baby girl but the broth is very tasty.

The first time I tasted lingonberries was during a trip to England. As a child, I traveled a lot to Great Britain and stayed with host families so I could improve my English. There would usually be another international student staying with the host family. One time, I stayed with a Swedish girl. It's been so long I can't remember what her name was, but I do remember that she introduced me to many new flavors. Typically, the students would bring a present that represented his or her culture and country. I would usually bring either chocolates, wine or Champagne. But this Swedish girl brought lingonberry preserves that were delicious. Lingonberries are Scandinavian berries with a flavor reminiscent of cranberries but slightly less tart and sweeter. And like cranberries, I think the preserves go especially well with white meat. If you're preparing your Christmas menu, this lingonberry roasted chicken could be a festive and tasty option for your main course. I roasted a whole chicken, adding the preserves to the marinade and glazed the chicken at the end so the skin turned sweet and crispy.

There's a giant IKEA store near where we live. I sometimes wander in the food area and buy Swedish root beer, delicious sparkling pear drink, Swedish meatballs and of course lingonberry preserves. If you don’t have an IKEA nearby, you can always buy lingonberry preserves online.

Today's giveaway is the Caramelini Gift Box of salted caramels from Das Foods. The flavors are unique: Chili Pecan, Orange Honey and Ginger Pistachio (my personal favorite), just to name a few. I grew up with far more traditional fleur de sel caramels from France, so it was very nice to see such a creative take on a classic treat from my childhood. As an added bonus, the packaging is so lovely that they also make a wonderful gift. For your chance to win these caramels, just enter on the 25 Days of Giveaways page.

I love incorporating fruits in savory dishes. Soups are a great way to do it, and today I made a soup similar to Vietnamese pumpkin soup (canh bí), but substituted ripe papaya for the pumpkin. It's called "canh đu đủ" in Vietnamese. I made the soup using chicken stock; you could use fish stock, vegetable broth or any other of your favorite flavorings. The natural sweetness from the papaya balances the flavors of a soup broth very well. At first sight, the beautiful orange color is reminiscent of fall colors due to the presence of carotenes in papaya. The flavor is quite different though. If you're looking for a healthy, flavorful soup, this is it.

In addition to tasting delicious, in Asian culture, old wives' tales say that papaya soup increases lactation for breastfeeding women. True or not, if you've just given birth, this recipe could help.